The Fearful Truth
by tmmachado
Summary: Liz finds herself in a bad situation after 4 months since Red left her without saying goodbye. Chapter 2 is rated M, so be aware!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **The idea of this fic was playing in my head for so long that I just needed to get it out. This is my first attempt of writing anything that isn't just for myself and I felt the need to publish it after noticing how people are leaving the Lizzington ship after S2 started. That being said, this fic is Lizzington all the way. Also, I'd like to give a big bear hug in FrostyFingers for being an awesome beta and giving me all those incredible ideas to keep this going. Also, this chapter is T rated, but the story will evolve to M very soon.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em>One shot down<em>

She had barely managed to make it through this day. Only eating once when she had grabbed some take out on her way back home from work.

_Two shots down_

Her house was unlivable. Bottles of vodka, rum, Scotch and wine were now part of the 'decoration' of her house as well as the several balled up McDonalds paper wrappings that were scattered all over the kitchen counter and the living room floor.

_Three shots down_

Her life had fallen apart. Since finding out the truth about Tom, she had developed trust issues; not giving the benefit of doubt to anyone who tried to make their way into her life.

_Four shots down_

But even her fake husband's disappearance hadn't hit her as hard as _his _had. He had just waltzed into her life, giving her no choice but to get close to him. Making her _feel_.

_Five shots down_

He, who had told her so many times that he would do anything in his power, anything he had to do, to keep her alive. He, who had told her so many times that whenever she was in need, he would be there. Well, where was he _now_?

_Six shots down_

She had been put on leave from the FBI. Medical reasons, they had told her. She was just too weak to be part of the field team, they had said – of course she was, she had lost 20 pounds – and that she was too mentally unstable to continue her work as a profiler. It wasn't like they knew what they were talking about. It was her that had had to suffer through this whole ordeal.

_Seven shots downs_

She could already feel the effects of the alcohol pumping through her system, clouding her brain. The dizziness so acquainted to her by now. It was almost comforting.

_Eight shots down_

Four months now. Four months since he had simply disappeared, as if their time together had never happened. Four months during which she had kept telling herself she wasn't crazy and that she hadn't invented this whole thing. But now, after all this time, even she wasn't so sure anymore.

_Nine shots down_

Her stomach started giving signals that this wasn't going to be an easy night, a night that would supposedly be spent in a bathroom, hugging the toilet bowl. Probably because she had decided to forgo any meals since the night prior. She was quite sure her liver was starting to protest from all the extra usage as well.

_Ten shots down_

She had lost all the ability to think by now. Her body was moving on auto-pilot, almost mechanically, so used to the motions it could go through with closed eyes. It was enough to keep filling the glass as she emptied it with yet another gulp. All emotions lost. All reasons gone. The profiler inside her had shut down long ago. She began drifting off, so she tried to get up from the couch, to find her way to the bedroom, only to take four steps and crash to the floor. The glass slipped from her grasp and shattered on the hardwood floor, a few pieces embedding themselves in the skin of her hand, drawing blood and letting it soak through the carpet.

Whatever part of her still had the power to make any decision had her body crawling to the table, where the bottle was left with half of its content still inside. Not being able to get up and get another glass, she just lifted the bottle to her lips and drank straight from it until she passed out on the living room floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I just want to thank you all so much for the reviews! It feels good to know that people are actually enjoying this! I'll try to make a daily chapter publishment with this, but I can't promise. Anyway, here is chapter 2. Also, a big shout out to my wonderful beta FrostyFingers that is always giving me those wonderful ideas :D

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>When Liz woke up it was almost night again. She put her face in her hands while she experienced the worst headache she could remember having. Ever. Seeing that her liquor cabinet was empty, she started making her way upstairs to take a shower before she would go to the store and refill her bottle collection.<p>

Walking down the street, three blocks from her house, Liz finally got to the her favorite liquor store only to see it was closed. This was just her luck. Why didn't she have a spare key to the place, she was a regular there after all. Liz was sure that she really was the only one who ever bought anything there at all, which was no wonder if the store was closed at this time of the night. With desperation for not getting her daily dose starting to rise, she noticed a bar across the street and quickly made her way there, completely ignoring just how creepy the place looked.

She sat at the counter and ordered a double shot of the cheapest Scotch they served. The burn in her throat immediately relieved her of the rising nervousness inside her. This wasn't what she was used to having, this was stronger. After only three more refills, she found herself in a state she had never been able to reach with the stuff she used to buy to get drunk in her own home.

Making a mental note to come back here every night from now on, she ordered another round. Just when the waiter finished pouring her drink, the seat beside hers was being claimed by a huge guy, who really just was a mountain of muscles, and who apparently couldn't stop looking at her.

"Rick, give her another round," the mountain ordered. Rick, who Liz assumed in her inebriated state, was the bartender, immediately filled her glass, which was now way past half full. Liz chugged it down with one large gulp and turned to thank the guy.

"You're welcome. I'm Bert," he said, touching her right thigh. If Liz had been in her right mind, she would have never let him continue moving his hand further up her leg, but at this moment she couldn't think properly and found that she didn't even care.

"I'm Liz," she answered with a tight smile. The next thing she knew Bert pulled her out of the bar and into a dirty and dark alley and Liz was left wondering why no one had done anything to stop him.

"You know, a girl like you shouldn't be walking around alone at this time of the night, and certainly shouldn't be in those type of bars. Big, bad guys could try to have their way with you," he said attacking her neck and letting his hands wander over her body. She could feel his hot breath on her skin and smelled the stench that was penetrating her nostrils. "Too bad there isn't anybody to save you from them, right poppet?" And with that he simply ripped her shirt open and let the torn material fall to the floor with her bra following closely.

Liz went limb. She didn't try to stop him at any moment. She knew she wouldn't be able to, even if she tried. He was just too big, she kept telling herself. Her FBI agent instincts were inactive after all that time. She felt her jeans being roughly pulled down and felt his hands making their way to her underwear; all the while having her breasts awfully violated by his careless mouth that kept biting her nipples until she was sure blood was being drawn.

And that was when she heard it. The voice. _His _voice. She was sure it was him, because she had dreamed about it so many times. Had dreamed about her name dropping from of his lips in a way that only he was able of. "Lizzie…" she heard again and suddenly she was struggling to get out of her attacker's strong grasp. She had to get to _him_. That was the only thing on her mind now.

Noticing her struggle, Bert grabbed her wrists easily with one hand and put them behind her back. Liz struggled against him and tried to free her hands to run away, but she was just too weak,too drunk. That moment she felt so unbelievably helpless; and so she did the only thing she could think of, bringing her head back and smash it hard against the bridge of the man's nose. He yelped and staggered back a little and a hand, the one that had started groping her, went to his nose immediately. When he felt blood seeping through his fingers, Liz could feel his anger rising and so she tried to scramble away again.

"You little bitch, come back here! I was gonna make this easy for you, but now you really pissed me the hell off! I'm gonna fuck you so hard you'll wish you were never born and then I'm gonna kill you!" With that he slapped her face as hard as he could, sending her head flying backwards andturnedher around, ripping her underwear apart as if it was made of paper. With no further warning he penetrated her so hard that she was sure she had died already. Died and gone to hell. He didn't give her time to get used to him inside her. He kept moving in and out all the while slapping and hitting her everywhere he could reach. Liz closed her eyes, trying to pretend he wasn't there, that this wasn't happening. But she couldn't stop seeing _his _face. The way he looked at her with some sort of disappointed for letting things get so out of hand that she was suddenly feeling relieved for being killed after this.

That's when she felt the man coming inside her. His high growl when he reached his climax being a further indication. He then pulled himself out of her and pushed her face into the wall. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the knife he pulled out of his back pocket. The shiny object that would finally bring her interior peace, that would end the sorry excuse for a life she was living lately. "Now I'm gonna make you suffer for breaking my nose and let you to die alone in this place, just like a piece of shit like you deserves," he spat and slapped her face once again.

She saw him come closer and suddenly a sharp pain shot through her body, tearing a throaty moan from her, as the knife was pushed into the left side of her stomach. Bert pulled it out of her and then pushed it into the right side before carving a line that went through to the centre of her belly, just above her bellybutton. Liz couldn't even scream. She just didn't have the strength nor the willpower to even open her mouth. She felt him pulling away again, but this time he didn't attack her again. He just put the knife back in his back pocket and slowly turned and walked away from her, letting Liz fall to the ground, immobile and fighting harder and harder to breath.

And then she saw _him _again. Once more, as darkness welcomed her into its gentle embrace. And she heard _him_. Saying her name, in her favorite tone of voice. "Lizzie…"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Just wanna say thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! You asked, here he is! Sorry if this chapter is so long, but it either very long or very short, so here it is. Enjoy! Once again, FrostyFingers, you're the best, girl!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>He had had to leave. Staying had no longer been an option. Not when he had clearly been losing his objectivity towards the list, his objectivity towards <em>her<em>. He had had to leave. Telling Dembe to take care of everything, take care of _her_ had been the wisest decision. The more he heard about her, the more he would_ care _and it wasn't like she would reciprocate his feelings in any way; it would be too selfish of him to even ask for that. No, staying had definitely no longer been an option. To hell with the immunity deal. It had all just been a scam anyway. No way the U.S. government would ever sign an agreement like that and he was well aware of that. So, disappearing from the face of the earth like he had done so many times before had been his only option and that was exactly what he had done.

Every once in a while Dembe would try to let him in on the team's reports on _her_, which he would easily dismiss by a wave of his hand and a few words in a tone that held a calculated amount of annoyance. "Dembe, how many times do I have to remind you that I simply don't want to be bothered withthis matter anymore? I do not care what's happening in Agent Keen's life, my friend, so please stop trying to fill my head with unimportant problems. God knows I have too much to worry about already." He would often see the look of sadness in his long time friend's eyes, but would choose to ignore it, pretend it wasn't there.

There was always a new place to go. The quiet nights that he had gotten too used to after a day full of work were gone and replaced by a night out with any woman he could find in whatever city business took him to. Whether he took them to a nice little restaurant first, or to a fun night at some jazz club, at the end of the night theywould be between his sheets.

The first month had been hell. Seeing _her _face everywhere he went, hearing _her_ voice every time he was alone. Seeing the deep blue of _her_ eyes whenever he looked up at the sky. It didn't matter who he was with, he would always close his eyes and pretend it was _her_. Pretend it was _her_ perfume that was filling his nostrils, pretending it was _her_ mouth that was kissing him back and _her_ hands that were making their way up and down his body, but when he looked up, it never were _her_ eyes that were looking back at him.

As the time passed, he had learned to shut it all out. He had learned to simply tell himself nothing of this had ever happened. Had told himself she had never existed. Had learned to not feel anymore. Had learned to hide behind his façade once again.

* * *

><p>Dembe felt the ire starting to rise inside of him as he hung up the phone. That was it. Things had gone way too far now, everything seemed to have gotten out of control. He had to get this to <em>him<em>, no matter if he wanted to hear this or not. Walking back into the house, he could hear the loud moans that came from behind the closed doors of the bedroom. Managing to swallow some of the anger he was feeling, he knocked loud enough to be heard above all the noise that was coming from the other side "Raymond!" When the room suddenly became quiet, Dembe stepped back and waited for the man to step out.

As the door slowly opened, Red came out of the roomstill fully clothed, except for the tie that was gone; his vest hung open and his shirt was untucked with the first two buttons undone and his face held an expression of clear annoyance for being disturbed during his leisure time. "I really hope there is a good reason for interrupting us, my friend. This better be urgent," he said walking to the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a few fingers of his favorite Scotch.

"I think the girl needs to go, Raymond. This is serious," Dembe told him with a look Red had never seen on him before. Without needing further explanation, he entered the room and came out only moments later with the flavor of the week on his heels.

Red escorted her to the front door and immediately returned to the living room, where Dembe was waiting for him. "Well, what is it?" He asked returning his attention to the tumbler he had left on the fireplace mantel.

"Agent Keen was -" Dembe started only to be abruptly interrupted.

"Dembe, I thought I had already told you to take care of this matter. I don't want to be bothered with this! How can I be any clearer?!" He asked in a tone that made his displeasure for the affair clear to both men. "Agent Keen's whereabouts don't concern me anymore, that's why I trusted you to take care of her security detail and not let me in on the reports! I just can't believe you had to interrupt me from having what promised to be the most mind blowing sex I had in months! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone who can actually keep pace with me and my kind of games?"

As he made his way back into the room once again, Dembe started shouting, all the anger from the latest news simply taking over his self-control. "How is that? How can you simply go from entering her life like that to just not caring anymore? How can you keep being such a cold hearted bastard when her life is clearly falling apart because of you?" The look on Red's face, as he turned back, was more than enough to tell Dembe that he had been taken aback by the unexpected behavior of his long time bodyguard and friend.

"Whatever my reasons for leaving may be, Dembe, I surely don't owe you an explanation for them. Agent Keen is a strong woman, I'm sure she'll come out of it eventually." His left eye twitched at the mention of _her _name. He started making his way back to his room only to stopdead in his tracks once again at the angry words that came out of Dembe's mouth.

"And just when do you think that is going to be? When the next son of a bitch decides to rape her and stab a knife into her stomach and then leave her bleeding to death in a cold and dirty alley, because she's lost too much weight and is too drunk to even defend herself anymore? Do you think she'll come out of it then?"

The impact of these words hit him right in the face and suddenly it felt as if a knife had been pushed through his heart. His friend watched as all blood left his face and Red was suddenly looking considerably pale. His breath turned labored. _His Lizzie_. No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be…

"Is she…?" he couldn't even finish that thought. His jaw was clenched as hard as ever, his fists balled up tightly by his sides and his eyes were wideand showed nothing but fear of his friend's answer.

"She's alive. Barely. They found her just in time and took her to a hospital," Dembe explained, sitting down on the sofa, eyes trained on Red, relieved with the knowledge that his friend was still in there somewhere.

"Tell me," was all Red was able to whisper as he sat down in the chair opposite the other one.

"Since our departure she has begun to crumble. She was getting more and more in the way of the team and their job, couldn't fulfill her duty as a profiler anymore. Assistant Director Cooper had to put her on indefinite leave. She has stopped eating and started drinking a lot. Until there wasn't a single day she went through without passing out on her living room floor. Tonight she left the house to buy more alcohol and when she saw that the store was closed, she went into one of the bars across the street," he said and Red couldn't help but picture his Lizzie in this state. It was a horrifying thought. "Our man watching her at that time saw her go inside and decided to take a break to get something to eat. When he came back to the bar, she had just disappeared. He asked the barman and the guy told him she had left with some man named Bert. So our man went around to look for her and that's when he found her in the alley. Blood all over her body, she wasn't breathing and there was only a very weak pulse. He immediately called for help and started doing everything he could. It seemed as if she was still fighting to get through this. They made it to the hospital andthe doctors took care of her. She is in critical condition, but they think she will make it, if she can get through the night."

The weight of Dembe's words settled heavily on Red's chest. _Lizzie. _His Lizziehad become a drunk. And because of that she had been raped and was now in a critical state in some hospital bed. _Alone_. This, all of it, had been going on for too long already, he couldn't let this continue started rising within him. He wanted to kill the man who had done this to her. _And_ the man who had let this happen to her. He would burn down the world until he found the ones responsible for her suffering.

"Locate the man who did this. I don't care how. Find him and get him ready for me," he said with his eyes shut tightly, while fighting for self-control.

"It's already taken care of, Raymond."

Looking into Dembe's eyes, he was thankful for the man for knowing him so well that he didn't need the order to make it happen. He nodded and simply asked, "What about the one who was supposed to be watching her?"

Dembe shifted uncomfortably in his seat before saying, "He did save her afterwards. I don't think he needs to be disposed of. The warning I gave him made it clear enough to never sleep on the job again."

Suddenly Red jumped up and furiously started pacing, all composure gone. "Well, someone's got to pay! I don't care who or how! If they are incapable of doing their job, then they're useless to the world!"

Dembe stood up as well, his anger rising again. "Then perhaps you should start blaming yourself, Raymond! I'm sick of this shit! You were the one who decided to leave! You were the one who wouldn't give a crap about her state, even when I almost begged you to listen! You are the one who went around pretending all those years by her side never happened. Taking your little dolls to dinner and then having your way with them afterwards whenever you felt like it! And now you want to blame the world because you can't man up enough to take responsibility for your own actions! Well, then, let me make this clear for you: Elizabeth is in this state, because your actions put her there!"

His words were like a punch to Red's face. His stomach dropped and he began to feel sick. Taking two steps back, he let himself fall back into the chair, his legs not able to support him much longer as he felt himself falling apart. Dembe was right. She was in that position because of _him_. Everything that happened to her in the last four months had been because of _him_. She had nearly gotten killed because of _him_. Tears started falling freely from his eyes and he couldn't stop a sob from escaping his throat. His breathing became erratic as realization dawned on him. What had he done?

"I'll make the arrangements. We'll go back tomorrow morning." He heard Dembe say, but didn't bother to answer. Letting his head fall into his hands, he promised himself that from now on he would personallytake care of her protection, at whatever costs. Pictures of her smiling face were dancing in front of his eyes. Just the thought of never seeing that smile again made his head dizzy.

"Lizzie…" he breathed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Hi guys! Once again, thank you so much for the amazing reviews! I haven't had the time to personally reply to any of them from the last chapter, but I promise you I will! So many of you asked to see what Red would do to the guy who raped Lizzie, so here it is! I hope it's not too big of a disappointment. That being said, this chapter is rated M for torture. Enjoy!

FrostyFingers, my wonderful beta, you're awesome! Thank you so so much for taking the time and doing this!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>Lizzie was drunk, wasted even as she was being dragged into an alley by a mountain of muscles. She was completely helpless and there was no one there to defend her. If only he could move… but it felt as if his feet were glued to the floor. The guy was ripping off her clothes, touching her body completely carelessly and unaware of the fact that she was supposed to be worshiped and treated with respect.<p>

No, he didn't care about any of it. The guy kept punching her, hitting her beautiful face all the while penetrating her without any concern for what she was suffering through. He emptied himself inside of her with a loud groan, filling her with his seed and humiliating her even further. And as if that hadn't been enough, the man drew out and tucked himself back into his pants before pulling a knife out of his pocket, plunging it into her soft flesh. It looked like he was trying to gut her. There was blood all over her body, oozing from the open wounds and pooling around her on the hard and cold pavement. Her stomach was practically ripped open. He looked into her face, watching as the life slowly faded from her usually bright eyes. He tried to scream, desperate to help her. Desperate to hold her in his arms, to take away her pain. But his mouth wouldn't move, wouldn't form a single word. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't move a muscle. Tears started falling from his eyes as realization dawned on him. She was all alone and he couldn't get to her to comfort her. Couldn't tell her how sorry he was. Couldn't sit by her side, so she wouldn't have to be alone. And then she was gone.

Red shot up in bed in the middle of the night and hurried to the bathroom, throwing himself to the cold tiles, fully ignoring his protesting knees as he bent over the toilet just fast enough to throw up last night's dinner. Tears were streaming from his eyes. He couldn't seem to stop puking. But that nightmare had been too much; it had seemed so the toilet, he sat down and leaned back against the side of the tub, the cold surface relieving him of some of the sweat on his back, as he thought about the dream he had just had. If any of that was even close to what had happened, he didn' think he would be able to hold it together when he saw her. He had felt her suffering. And not being able to help her had been the worst feeling he had to endure in over twenty years. Without the power or the will to go back to bed, he just remained there, sitting on the cold and hard floor.

Whatever had possessed him to leave her side? He had fallen in love with her, yes, but why hadn't he just sucked it up and pretended it was okay? Hadn't he promised her that he'd never let anything happen to her? Hadn't he told her that he would always be there for her whenever she was in need? And now her life was hanging by a thread and where was he? Over five thousand miles away from her while she was lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and with no one to hold her hand, while she was fighting for her life. How much of a man he was.

Still feeling sick from the images that wouldn't stop spinning in his head, he took off his soaked shirt and sleeping pants to take a cold shower. The icy water was immediately relieving some of the tension in his muscles. Everything was going to be okay. He kept telling himself that. Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon, I'm here to see Elizabeth Gibbs," Red said to the first nurse he saw.<p>

"Are you family?" The elderly woman asked him with a suspicious look on her face.

"I'm her husband," he answered, the concern so clear on his face that the nurse didn't need to ask further questions.

"Room 314."

Red practically ran through the corridors until he came to a stop outside her room, with Dembe close behind. Taking two deep breaths, he slowly opened the door, attempting to not make any noises, but what he saw inside nearly made him empty the contents of his stomach again, if there was even any left inside. His arm shot out and he blindly grabbed the first thing he could reach to steady himself – which happened to be Dembe. His friend held him upright as Red's eyes widened and tears started to well up. His breath became labored as all of his ticks appeared on his features, making him look like a nervous wreck.

Seeing him in that state, Dembe quickly helped him sit **in** the chair at the foot of the bed. Turning his attentions to Liz, Red noticed how immobile and fragile she looked with all those cables connected to her body. There were ugly bruises on her usually immaculate skin and he didn't even want to imagine what her body would look like under the covers. Risking a quick glance to Red, Dembe watched as the first droplets of tears rolled down his friend's cheeks and excused himself to give him some privacy.

Red got up from his chair and took the few steps to Lizzie's side. The need to touch her, to feel her skin against his, to feel her warmth so he could be sure that she was still alive was stronger than the rational thought to not disturb her. He desperately needed to know that she was still alive. The warmth radiating from her hand instantly relieved him all of his fears. She was still there, she hadn't given up yet. The rise and fall of her chest was enough evidence for that. As his thumb slowly ran over her knuckles he felt the need to touch her face, as he had never had that opportunity before. Her beautiful face that was now covered up in bruises and scratches. Without letting go of her fingers he slowly lowered his head until he could touch his lips to her forehead, giving it a chaste kiss that was a promise. One that he knew he would never break, even if it cost him his life.

After the initial relief of knowing that his Lizzie was still alive, he felt the angry running through him again. Infuriated with himself for being so stupid. Mad at the man who had been responsible for her safety at that time. And most of all, livid with whoever had done this to her. He was going to pay for this, Red would make sure of that. His left eye twitched and his free hand, the one that wasn't holding onto hers, balled into a fist by his side,his jaw tightlyclenched. He gently put her hand back to the mattress and with one last look at Lizzie, Red left the room knowing that she wouldn't wake up any time soon.

He spotted Dembe a little further down the hall talking to a man who looked very frightened and nervous. Reaching the two of them, he realized just who that man was, he lowered his voice addressing the short man in a way that he knew would frighten even the most powerful man in the world. "If you ever let her out of your sight again, I promise you'llbe begging me to kill you. Am I clear?" By the looks of it the guy almost wet his pants then as he dropped his eyes, not able to face the grey-greenish eyes that seemed to see right through your soul and eat you alive. "Don't let anyone inside her room apart from the nurses and the doctors until my return. Dembe, take me to him," he said and started making his way to the elevators to take care of that last matter before he could dedicate himself fully to his Lizzie.

* * *

><p>After a fifteen minutes drive, Dembe pulled up outside an old warehouse where the guy named Bert was being held. Red jumped from the car and immediately went for the entrance, his blood boiling from all the anger he was feeling. Images of Lizzie in that hospital bed were whirling around his head. He saw the man tied to a chair in the middle of the room.<p>

"Who are you? Why am I being held here? What do you want?" The man started asking at the sight of Red walking in. The latter simply ignored him and remained silent while he removed his suit jacket and fedora before starting to roll up his shirtsleeves. "How long are you gonna keep me here? What have I done to you? What do you want?"

Taking the small handgun Red carried with him, he put a bullet into the man's right knee. The crying noise coming from him was so loud that Red actually made a face while waiting for him to quiet down. "I am your worst nightmare. Last night, you were at a bar and approached a lady who was quietly seated at the counter, drinking her glass of Scotch. Were you not?" At the man's silence, Red shot him again, this time into his left shoulder. "I believe I asked you a question."

Bert had tears running down his face as he shouted back, "Yes! Yes, I saw her, she was there!"

"You offered to buy her a drink and once she was finished, you took her outside, and lead her to an alley." His voice was dead serious and low. The look in his eyes was murderous**. **"What did you do to her?"

Deciding to answer right away in hopes of avoiding any more bullets the man opened his mouth, "I had sex with her! So what? She wouldn't have gone to that kinda bar if she hadn't wanted some fun!"

Upon hearing those words, Red had to fight the impulse to just beat the crap out that guy. Instead he motioned for the two men standing by the entrance of the warehouse. They went into a room where Bert's eyes couldn't follow and came back minutes later with a bull made of bronze.

"Do you know what this is, Mr… I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Red asked, faking interest in the man tied to the chair.

"Bert Holden," he answered grumpily. The loss of blood clearly starting to take effect on him.

"Yes. Do you know what this is Mr. Holden?" Red decided to take his silence as an answer and continued "This is a brazen bull. It is a torture and execution device created in ancient Greece as new means in executing criminals. See that door over there, at the side? That's where you will go." Motioning once again for his men, they approached with their arms loaded with firewood. Seeing panic starting to show on Bert's face, Red laughed. "Oh yes, I see you've managed to figure out what happens next, haven't you? I'm going to make a little bonfire and put it under the bull here, which, as you can see, is made of bronze. Wonderful material, bronze, don't you think? Capable of heating up in an incredible speed." And as suddenly as it had started, the laughter was gone. "You are going to pay for every single bruise you gave her. Every single scratch. And now you'll be able to feel as hopeless as she was when you raped her, you son of a bitch! Get him inside!"

As the two men started to untie Bert from the chair, he began struggling against their tight hold, trying to free himself. "Please, please, I'll give you anything! Please don't do this to me! Please, I beg you!" He screamed, the realization of being close to death dawning on him.

"Oh, have I told you the best part of this wonderful device yet? You can scream as much as you want, there's acoustic apparatus thingy that converts your screams into the sound of a bull! Doesn't that sound like fun?" Once again he started laughing. Lighting up the firewood, Red smiled viciously. The certainty of putting an end to that man's life making him feel somehow better. Yes, he was a monster, but that man had dug up his own hole.

No one hurt his Lizzie.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Ok, here is chapter 5. This is going to be the last chapter for a while, RL is really consuming me. Univeristy is just a pain. But I promise I'll resume it ASAP! Probably at some point later this week or on the weekend. Again, thank you for the reviews guys, it means a lot!

FrostyFingers, this chapter is for you. Hope your dream is well written here haha :D

**Dislaimer:** I own nothing

* * *

><p>Liz started to take notice of her surroundings as she slowly regained consciousness. She could feel something soft underneath her. <em>'Probably a bed,'<em> she thought. Her head was hurting a little as a headache started to make its announcement. Slowly opening her eyes, she had to blink a couple of times to get used to the brightness in the room. The IV in her right arm made it clear to her that she was lying in a hospital bed, only that she couldn't remember what for. Looking around the room, the first thing she noticed was a hat. Not just _any_ hat. _His_ kind of hat. A _fedora._ She felt a weight pressing down her left hand and she tugged a little to get it free, not liking the confined feeling.

Red jostled awake at the sudden movement and realized that Liz had finally woken up. He immediately tried composing himself as she finally locked eyes with him. His own grey-greenish ones filled with tears as the biggest smile of relief came to his face. "Lizzie…" he whispered and his voice sounded strangled as if he could barely hold it together. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you want me to get a doctor?" Liz remained unmoving as if not believing that it really was _him_ sitting there. At the sound of his voice, all the memories from the last four months came back to her mind as if a trigger had been pulled. _He was leaving; she was crying; Cooper was suspending her; she was stopping to eat; she was starting to drink; the bar; that guy sitting down next to her; that guy and pain... just so much pain._

She started panicking as the realization of what had happened to her settled inside. She tried to free herself from all of the plugs linked to her body, but as soon as she began, Red was on his feet, gently pulling her into his arms. "Shh... sweetheart, it's okay. I'm here now, you're okay."

But she just kept fighting him, not wanting him to touch her. She felt a bile rising in her throat and she mumbled, "I'm gonna throw up." He simply reached for the trashcan beside her bed and held it for her while she emptied her already empty stomach into the plastic container. The pain from her injured stomach suddenly made itself known and she screamed out and doubled over, clutching at her tummy. At the sight of her agonizing pain, Red immediately shouted for Dembe to get help.

After only a few seconds that felt more like hours, the doctor, accompanied by a nurse entered the room followed close by Dembe to check on her. "We need to get her to relax. Haldol, five milligrams, stat!" The doctor commanded to the nurse as she pulled a syringe out of a drawer and injected it into her IV. Only moments later Liz was calm again, lying heavily against the pillows piled up on her bed.

As the doctor started making his way out of the room, he signalled to have a word with Red. "You have to calm down your wife. If she keeps hurting herself we'll have to sedate her again," he said and left Red to his own thoughts. He went back after a while and tried to approach Liz once again. Seeing him coming closer, Liz felt an uneasiness she couldn't explain.

Grabbing her head in her hands and curling up as if trying to protect herself, she started crying, "No, no, please don't! Please don't touch me! Don't hurt me! Please, please! Leave me alone!"

Red stopped in the middle of the room and looked as if someone had just ripped his heart out of his chest. Dembe took pity on his friend and grabbed him by the arm to drag him out to the corridor, making him sit in one of the chairs. Going back into the room, Dembe tried speaking to her in a soothing tone, "Liz, it's ok. It's me, Dembe. You don't have to be afraid ok?" He said carefully as if trying not to startle a frightened animal. When she turned her head towards the man and acknowledged his presence, it felt as if a big weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She somehow felt safe because she knew that she could always trust Dembe. He hadn't chosen to abandon her.

Seeing that he had managed to keep her calm, he smiled gently at her. "You can sleep now, Liz. I'm going to be right outside the room, okay? Get some rest."

As he turned to leave and opened the door, he heard a quiet, "Thank you, Dembe." And he glanced at her once again to let her know that everything was going to be okay. He walked out and took a seat next to Red, whose eyes seemed fixed on a point on the wall in front of him.

"She's resting now." Not getting any response, he decided to try to soothe his friend's pain. "Just give her time, Raymond. Everything will -" He was interrupted in the middle of his sentence as Red got up and started making his way to the elevators.

Noticing Dembe was following him, Red said over his shoulder, "Stay with her. She needs you more than me." And with that he was gone, leaving the other speechless.

* * *

><p>As the days went by, Red had yet to return to the hospital. Dembe was left to take care of Liz and she seemed to be doing amazing progress. Her bruises weren't as prominent anymore, her wounds had healed somewhat and she was eating regularly, which made her gain back some of the weight she had unnecessarily lost. But she would still get a lot of headaches and therefore decided to try sleeping most of the time.<p>

Dembe would sit by her side during the day and the both of them would share travel experiences and childhood memories, laughing as if nothing bad had ever happened, but he knew that she would start to cry the moment he left and closed the door to her room.

Five days after Red had left the hospital, Dembe was telling her about the time he spent in Krakow, careful enough not to mention his friend, when he noticed a sad smile on her face. "What's wrong, Liz?" He asked.

She turned her head to face him and he could see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "He's not coming back, is he?" At Dembe's silence, she just continued. "It's been five days now. I screwed up badly and now he won't come to see me again."

Seeing the first salty drops starting to run freely down her cheeks, Dembe squeezed her hand and with the best smile he could give her, tried to reassure her, "He will come back, Liz. You didn't do anything wrong. He's just giving you some space." Accepting his words, Lizzie simply nodded and laid her head back down on the pillows. Soon she had drifted off to sleep again.

Dembe rose from his chair and quietly made his way out of the building. He knew what he had to do, but it wouldn't be easy.

Arriving at their current safe house, Dembe walked inside and immediately spotted Red seated on the couch, staring out of a window, with a glass of Scotch in one hand and the bottle that held, at the most, five more refills inside, on the table next to him. "You need to pull yourself together, my friend. She asked for you today," he said with a smile on his lips. Red seemed to ignore him and just kept staring out of the window. "Raymond, she believes that you don't want to see her again because she may have screwed things up. She needs you, my friend. Go to her."

But the only reaction he received was Red taking another sip of his drink. '_Maybe he still needs some time_.' With that in mind, Dembe decided not to push the topic any further and left for his room, in order to get some sleep before going back to the hospital in the morning.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Dembe made his way to the hospital and decided to stop by the gift shop to buy Liz a box of chocolate so she would have something different from the horrible hospital food to eat. Just as he was about to open the door to her room, he spotted Red coming out of the elevator, carrying a single red rose in his hand. They had a silent exchange as Dembe handed him the chocolate box and then stepped back from the door. Red nodded to his friend in a way of thanks and slowly opened the door, afraid of what might expect him on the other side.<p>

Hearing the door open, Liz' head shot up from behind the book she was reading. "Dembe, this bo -" She froze upon seeing _him_, not sure what to say next, but at the same time feeling relieved by his presence. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness and she chided herself for her emotional state, but the thought of never seeing him again had been on her mind for too long.

Seeing her reaction, Red felt relief settling inside him. She was not yelling at him to go away and she even seemed happy to see him. It was as if she actually wanted him to be there. He moved to sit in the chair by her bed and handed her the chocolate box and the red rose. "For you, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Red." She gave him a shy smile.

Hearing his name dropping from her sweet lips brought a big smile to his face. It meant more to him than he would have ever thought possible; the feelings inside him stronger than he was willing to admit if asked.

"How are you feeling?" He decided to start out with small talk, for which she was glad.

"A lot better actually. Nothing really hurts that much anymore," she replied while never letting her eyes leave his. They fell silent, not entirely sure how to proceed and just kept looking at each other. They were both restless as they tried to think of a way to overcome the silence until neither one of them was able to keep from touching the other anymore and both reached for the other's hands at the same time.

"Lizzie, I'm so, so sorry for leaving, sweetheart. If I'd known any of this would happen, I would never have left. You have to know that." His voice suddenly failed as a lump came to his throat.

"Why did you?" Her voice was so small that he almost missed it, had it not been for the silence in the room; as he watched the tears that were already rolling freely down her face.

"Because I was afraid of my feelings for you, Lizzie. You have to know that they are very strong and I was so afraid of losing you because of that, but it seems as if I only made things much worse. And I am sorry for that, sweetheart." He choked out. She was amazed to see tears falling from his long golden lashes.

"I went through hell, Red. When you left, it was as if someone had pulled the carpet from under my feet and I kept falling, but I never reached the ground. I didn't find the will to eat anymore, I started drinking so much there wasn't a time I was awake when I wasn't drunk." The tremble in her voice was getting worse just before she started to sob. Red kept swallowing hard to try to control his own emotions and squeezed her hand to let her know he was there to support her. "Until that night. I don't know what made me to go into that bar. I think I was so desperate for a drop of alcohol that anything was good, really. And then I just remember… him dragging me out and…" She was sobbing so hard now that she couldn't continue the story.

Red felt his heart break inside his chest. _His Lizzie, _so damaged and broken. He had to hold her, he just had to. Their joined hands were no longer enough. He reached for her and gently gathered her in his arms, immensely relieved when, instead of pulling away, she scooted to the side to make room for him to join her on the hospital bed and pulled him with her. He didn't waste any time and climbed in to better hold her against his chest, trying to soothe some of her pain and letting her know that he was there for her and he would never leave her side again.

She grabbed onto his suit lapels and pulled him even closer, finding comfort in his scent that she had missed so much, as she wept in both physical and emotional pain but also in happiness, knowing that he was there, holding her. That she would be well cared for now. That the future seemed a lot brighter than it had last week. With those thoughts she drifted off to what would be the first dreamless sleep she had had in months.


End file.
